Today saw weather into which you wouldn’t have cast out a mangy dog. And, as Sardinia is a hilly place, quite often the rain ceased as you entered the clouds from which it was falling. This caused us to make voluntary itinerary changes as, in one or two places, we opted to stay on the coach rather than drown at short photostops, etc. We had a local guide who spent more time not describing the itinerary but, instead, discussing Italian, and (cheeky sod) British politics from the perspective of Stalin, if he’d discovered the environment agenda.

However, the shepherds [we’ll call them that, although I think they gave up shepherding some time ago for more profitable pursuits] had indoor facilities and provided lunch. Not exactly a standard UK Sunday roast, but roast meats nonetheless. Everything was made on site and began with flat breads, ricotta cheese and cured meats. We were then served spit roast lamb and pork with potatoes and onions. On the table was a bottomless carafe of home produced red wine - strong and very well flavoured. Entertainment was provided by the shepherds, who sang some traditional Sardinian folk songs. Pretty good voices and unusual melodies. Margaret thought they sounded a little like tuneful sheep? Maybe! All-in-all a very enjoyable experience.

The real entertainment, however, was as we attempted to leave. A Leger Luxuria coach is big by any standards, we were on farmland and it had been raining a lot. So after a few yards, we stopped moving and watched a lot of arm waiving (in true Italian style) lead to a large tractor being summoned to pull us out of the mud. With a true demonstration of urgency, Italian style, this took around an hour to complete,

We arrived back at the hotel around 18:30 ready for dinner at 19:30. The restaurant here serves very well prepared 4 course meals. I’ll save a chat about its quirks for another day.